Wire fence.



Patented luly 23., l90l. V. HOXIE.

WIRE FENCE;

(Application filed Jan. 24. 1901.)

(No Model.)

VERNEIN Hnxiwmm may . tending across the plane of the kinks in both UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VERNON HOXIE, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,954, dated July 23, 1901.

Application filed January 24, 1901. Serial No. 44,614. (No model.)

T0 (0% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VERNON HOXIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Adrian, in the county of Lenawee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Wire Fence,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to Wire fences, and particularly to means for connecting the crossed wires of the same, and designed to effectively bond or join crossed wires, so that they will not slip in the direction of their lengths, and thereby maintain the wires under the desired tension and the meshes confined thereby in regular spaced relation, but at the same time permit the crossed wires to have some freedom of movement, so that the fabric may be accommodated to the rough uneven, surface of the ground without buckling or breaking the ties, and also allow the upright wires to retain their perpendicular position when taking the fabric from a stretch of level ground up a considerable angle without in the least disturbing the locking position of the ties in either instance.

The invention primarily consists in reversely kinking the intersecting portions of fence or other fabric wires or such wires as are desired to be placed in angular relation for connection and applying a particularlyformed tie or bond wire therearound, so that the bowed or bent portions thereof will bear against separated points of the one wire of the connected wires at the terminals of the kink therein, the intermediate diagonal connecting member for said bowed or bent portions exconnected wires to hold the same in intimate position, the terminals of the tie or bond extending across the same side of the remaining wire of the connected wires and spaced apart to bear on said latter wireadjacent the terminals of the kink therein and free to slip on said wire in the direction of their projection to accommodate angular position of the one connected wire on the other differing from the primal disposition.

The invention further consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed in detail.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of a portion of a fence fabric embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the bonded or tied joint embodying the invention and looking toward the side reverse to that shown by Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken in the plane of the line 3 3, Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of the joint looking toward the side opposite that shown by Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the arrangement of the fabric to accommodate inclines or uneven ground-surfaces.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

For the purpose of illustrating one mode of applying the improved form of bond or tie and completing the joint in accordance with the invention a mesh of a fence fabric is shown and embodies two vertical and two lateral wires, respectively designated by the numerals 1 and 2; but it will be understood that any number of wires can be so connected, and in some instances the improved joint complete will be employed to connect two wires only. Therefore it will be intended in the following description by the use of the words vertical and lateral to indicate position or direction merely for the purpose of illustration and that the use of the joint embodying the invention is not necessarily dependent on such arrangement for a practical reduction of the same. In preparing the crossed wires 1 and 2 they are respectively formed with oppositely-extending kinks 3 and 4: at their point of crossing, and then threaded therearound and thereover is the tie or bond wire 4:, which has reversely-directed loops 5 passing over the same side of the vertical Wire 1 adjacent sides of the horizontal plane of the lateral wire 2. The loops 5 are made continuous with each other by a diagonal intermediate member 6 passing across the plane of the kinks of both wires 1 and 2, and from the loops project free extremities 7 and 8, which extend across the same side of the lateral wire 2 adjacent to the terminals of the kink 4 of the latter, the extension of said extremi ties being great enough to completely cross the wire 2 and terminate slightly beyond the same on opposite sides of the plane thereof.

It will be observed that the tie or bond wire complete is shaped similarly to the let ter S and when viewed from one side will.

stand in reversed position, but will indicate from either direction that the central axial line through the loops 5 thereof is oblique tothe vertical wire 1, so that the full benefit of the equal bearing and retention characteristics of the extremities 7 and 8 on the lateral wire 2 may be obtained without making one of said extremities longer than the other and also to bring the inner portion of the bend of sired in relation to the kinks 3 and 4, and it will be observed that the loops 5 and extremities 7 and 8 are prevented from having the least longitudinal movement on either wire 1 or 2 by the kinks 3 and l of the latter and will thereby be always maintained in a constant position.

The wire 1 will always be held in the position shown in the bends or loops 5 of the tie or bond; but the wire 2 is permitted to have a limited movement either above or below a horizontal plane for various uses or ap plications, but particularly in fence-fabric structures, to accommodate it to a rough or uneven surface of the ground without breaking or buckling the ties and also permit the vertical wires to retain their perpendicular position when running the fence fabric from a stretch of level ground up a considerable angle.

The improved tie is applied to the crossed wires by means of a suitable die, which simultaneously produces the kinks 3 and 4: in the crossed wires and shapes the tie as set forth. It is known that ties have been applied to crossed wires of fence fabric and the like and have bends or loops engaging different portions of the same side of one wire and also extremities barely touching the other wire at different separated points. In this known arrangement the wires that are connected are not kinked in reverse interlocking directions, and the extremities of the tie engaging difierent portions of the one connected wire are drawn in close to the bends or loops, and the effective interlock to prevent one wire from slipping on the other in a longitudinal direction cannot be obtained, and the adjustment of one wire on the other, as heretofore set forth as an advantage of the present improved construction and arrangement, is impossible, because the disposition of a line drawn centrally through both loops or bends of the tie is not oblique to the vertical wire or to one of the wires connected, and hence there can be no fulcrum or retention of the extremities. The difierence in favor of the present improved construction is marked, because under the latter the tie or bond must have three points of bearing on the longitudinal or lateral wire 2, which are effected by the extremities 7 and 8 and the intermediate diagonal member 6 of the tie, and two points of which. bear on the upright or vertical wire 1 through the medium of the bends or loops 5. By this arrangement a strain on the lateral wires of'the fabric serves to tighten and hold fast each joint therein by drawing against the points of the tie. Were the kinks of the longitudinal wires made in the same direction as in the upright or vertical wires, the strain of the longitudinal wires when stretching the fence would loosen the tie by pulling away from instead of against the points of bearing. I

Changes in the proportions and general dimensions of the several parts may be resorted to without in the least departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A joint for wires consisting of intersecting wire portions having interlocking oppositely-extending kinks or deflections, and a tie-wire engaging the same and having loops surrounding the one wire portion adjacent the terminals of the kink therein, an intermediate diagonal member extending across the plane of the kinks of both wire portions and free extremities which are continuous and substantially straight to present smooth sloping surfaces to bear on the wire intersecting that engaged by the tie-loops, whereby one wire is permitted to move on the other without disturbing the tie.

2. A joint for intersecting wires compris- Ln'g kinks or deflections crossing each other, and an obliquely-arranged S-shaped tie engaging the said wires adjacent the terminals of the kinks therein and engaging the kink of one wire whereby the said tie will have three bearing-points thereon to prevent longitudinal movement thereof, the free ends of the tie being continuous and substantially straight to present smooth sloping surfaces to bear on the one wire to permit the latter to be moved.

3. Intersecting wires having reversely-arranged interlocking kinks or deflections, and i VERNON HOXIE.

Witnesses: V

CLARKE E. BALDWIN, J OHN F. WiLoox. 

